Waldo Street fire, Rumford, 1923

Description

Buildings burn during a massive fire on Waldo Street in Rumford on August 2, 1923. Prior to the fire, Waldo Street was a bustling residential and secondary business district for the town.

The fire was first discovered at 5:10 p.m. by the Majestic Theater’s stage carpenter, Eli Roy. With the help of the Lewiston and Auburn fire department, the flames were put out by 11:00 p.m., but not before it left 300 families homeless (a total of 700 persons) and destroyed 28 buildings, including the Majestic Theater. The loss totaled $500,000.